Fire-hydrant.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

FEED E. BROWN AND GEORGE w. HAYoook, or LAWRENCE, MAssA- oHUsErrs.

FZIREQHYDRANT.

'Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRED F.. BROWN and GEORGE W. HAYoooK, y.citizens of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in `the Vcounty of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Hydrants, of which the 'following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in fire-hydrants, and .particularly to a means whereby the height of water leakage within the hydrant may be positively ascertained.

The main obj ect-of the present invention is the production of means to be located within a fire-hydrant and .adapted for any coperation with a pressure-gage for indicating the height of water leakage within the hydrant proper.

The invention will be described .in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents the sectional view, partly in elevation, 'of a fire-hydrant constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing another form of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the hydrant-casing of any' usual or preferred construction, formed with a waste-outlet 2, controlled by a valve 3, operated in conjunction with the controlling-valve 4 of the hydrant. The usual frost-shield 5 encircles the casing below the ground-line 6, all of which parts may be of any usual or preferred construction, as they are immaterial so far as the gist of the present invention is concerned.

As is well known in hydrant construction, it is highly desirable to keep the interior of the hydrant free of water when not in use, owing to the liability of freezing. This difficulty has been overcome to some extent in the past by providing -a drainage-opening, such as 2, connected with the sewerage or waste system, whereby to carry off all leakage. It frequently happens, however, that the drainage-outlet becomes clogged through rust or the like, or discharge-mains leak where a supersaturation of the ground may prevent the proper escape of the water. In either of these events it is highly desirable that some way be provided for determining the presence of an excess quantity of water in the hydrant, so that measures may be taken to dispose of the same to prevent freezing and consequent non-operation ofy the hydrant when desired for use.

To provide for indicating the presence of water within the hydrant and also to gage with reasonable accuracy the quantity thereof, we provide within the hydrant a longitudinally-arranged bore opening at its upper end through the wall of the hydrantcasing labove the ground-line and projecting beyond said wall in the form of a threaded terminal. rlhe lower end of the bore within the casing terminates approximately on a line with or above the drainage-outlet 2, as clearly shown in the drawings.

To adapt the invention. for use with hydrants already in operation, as shown in Fig. 1, the longitudinally-arranged'bore referred to comprises a pipe 7, extending llengthwise the hydrant-shell and within thel same, the upper end thereof projecting through the 'wall of the shell and terminating in a threaded. nipple 8.

In use should the drainage-outlet for any reason become inoperative and the water accumulate within the hydrant saidwater will of course find its way upward within the pipe 2. An ordinary air-pump 9, having its dischargepipe in open communication with a pressuregage 10, is adapted for connection, through the medium of a coupling l1, with the threading 8 of the pipe 7. If leakage has accumulated within the casing and pipe 7, the pressure exerted in the operation of the air-pump will force said accumulation from the pipe 7, the amount of pressure necessary being indicated on the gage 10. abled to tell not only of the presence of leakage accumulation within the casing, but the approximate amount of accumulation, and to determine in accordance with his experience as to whether such leakage is present in sufficient quantity vto require the removal of the hydrant-head and pumping out of the casing. It is obvious that if no leakage has accumulated within the casing no pressure will be required to force the air through the pipe 7, and the operator is at once advised that the casing is clear. It is important in this operation that the bore terminate coincident with or slightly above the drainageoutlet 2, as under ordinary circumstances the casing will. contain water up to the level of said drainage-outlet at all times, and the The operator is thereby endevice of this invention is designed simply to indicate to the operatorthe inaction of the drainage-outlet and the presence of water within the casing above said outlet. It is of course to be understood that the force-pump is to form a part o1" the testers outfit and is to be used with all successive hydrants tested. On reference to 2, however, wherein is shown a hydrant-shell initially constructed in accordance with the invention, we prefer that the longitudinal bore be in the form of a passage or channel 12, formed bycoring the shell ofthe hydrant in casting or other manufacture. This channel, which is similar in all respects to the tube 7, communicates at its lower end with the interior ci the hydrant at 13, approximately on a level with the escape-opening 2 and at its upper end with a threaded nipple 14, projecting beyond the shell of the hydrant and adapted to receive the coupling 11 of the air-pump 9. The passage or bore 12 may be in the form of a round' pipe-like channel or may constitute a channel extending wholly around or concentric with the wall ci the hydrant, in which latter event it communicates with the interior of the hydrant by a circumferential groove at its lower end and having an outlet at the upper y end through a single-threaded nipple.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. A hydrant-shell having a drainage-outwith the outlet, the upper end of' thechannel opening beyond the shell, in combination with means for forcing air under measurable pressure into the upper end of the channel.

A hydrant-shell having a drainage-outlet7 and provided with a channel opening within the shell at its lower end and terminating approximately on a line with said outlet, the upper' end of said-channel extending,

from the wall of the casing' and being in cornmunication with 'a threaded nipple, in combination with a pressure apparatus including a gage and arranged for connection with said nipple. 1

In testimony whereof'we afl-lx our signa tures in presence of two witnesses.

FRED F. BROWN. GEORGE W. HAYCOCK.y v Witnesses z CHARLES E. COAKLEY, THOMAS R. WHITTAKER. 

